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The Purge: Election Year
|gross = $118.6 million }} The Purge: Election Year is a 2016 American dystopian action horror film written and directed by James DeMonaco and starring Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, and Mykelti Williamson. It is the sequel to 2014's The Purge: Anarchy and is the third installment in ''The Purge'' franchise. Jason Blum and Michael Bay are among the film's producers. The film was released on July 1, 2016, received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $118 million, becoming the highest-grossing film of the series. A fourth film depicting the origins of the event, titled The First Purge, was released in July 2018. Plot A young Charlene (aka "Charlie") Roan and her family are tied up by a masked purger. He taunts them with his "purge playlist", and then tells them they will play a final purge game called "Mommy's Choice." He then proceeds to kill the rest of Charlie's family and leaves her as the only survivor. Eighteen years later, Roan is a U.S. Senator campaigning for the U.S. Presidency, promising to end the annual purge nights. Former police sergeant Leo Barnes is now head of security for Roan. The New Founding Fathers of America's (NFFA) leader, Caleb Warrens and their candidate, Minister Edwidge Owens, view Roan as a threat; in the guise of regaining the public's trust, they revoke immunity for government officials to kill her on Purge night. Watching the presidential debate are deli owner Joe Dixon, his assistant Marcos, and EMT Laney Rucker. A pair of teenage girls enters the store and shoplifts, only to be cornered by Joe. The girls mock Joe until Laney intervenes; recognizing her as a famous ex-Purger, they leave peacefully. Joe receives a phone call stating the cost of his purge insurance has increased beyond his affordability. Joe decides to guard his store himself, despite Marcos and Laney's pleas not to. At the same time, the country's so-called "Murder tourism" booms the economy due to tourists visiting the United States to participate in the annual Purge nights. On the night of the purge, Joe guards his store and is joined by Marcos, and together they manage to repel an attack by the teenage girls. Laney and her partner Dawn patrol the city in an ambulance, providing medical care to the wounded. Roan decides to wait out the purge from her home rather than a secure location to secure the vote, and is accompanied by Barnes, Chief Couper, Eric, and additional security forces. However, a betrayal by Chief Couper and Eric allows a neo-Nazi paramilitary force led by Earl Danzinger to kill the security detail and invade the house. Barnes escorts Roan to safety, but is wounded in the process. He detonates a bomb in the house, killing Eric and Chief Couper. Navigating the hostile streets of Washington D.C., Barnes and Roan attempt to seek shelter, but are ambushed by a gang of Purgers and taken captive. Before they can be executed, Joe and Marcos kill the gang, having seen the pair's plight from the store's rooftop. As they take shelter in the store, the teenage girls return with reinforcements. However, Laney runs over their leader and kills half the group. As the other Purgers threaten to break in, they leave for a safer hideout. The team is ambushed by Danzinger in a helicopter, and seeks refuge beneath an overpass wherein Barnes realizes they were tracked by the bullet lodged inside him, and manages to extract it. After a confrontation with a large number of Crips, the team helps their leader's injured comrade. In return, the Crips plant the bullet in another area to divert the paramilitary team, which they later eliminate. The team arrives at an underground antipurge hideout run by Dante Bishop. Barnes discovers that Bishop's group intends to assassinate the NFFA, in an effort to end the purge. A large group of paramilitary forces arrives at the hideout looking for Bishop. Barnes and Roan escape back to the streets and meet Joe, Marcos, and Laney, who had left the hideout earlier to return to Joe's store. They board an ambulance. While fleeing the city, the ambulance is hit by Danzinger's team. Roan is pulled from the van by the soldiers before Barnes can assist. Barnes leads the group and Bishop's team to a fortified cathedral where the NFFA plans to sacrifice her. Before Roan can be killed by the NFFA, the group arrives and assassinates Warrens, causing a shootout that kills the entire congregation except Owens and another NFFA loyalist, Harmon James, who escape. Owens is caught by Bishop's group, but Roan manages to persuade them to spare him. The remaining paramilitary forces arrive, killing Bishop and his team. Danzinger and Barnes engage in a melee which ends with the former's death. As Roan and the team free the imprisoned purge victims, James emerges and kills a released prisoner. Joe shoots him, but is fatally wounded. Before dying, Joe asks Marcos to take care of his store. Two months later, Roan wins the election in a landslide, while Barnes is appointed the new Director of the Secret Service. Marcos and Laney renovate Joe's store and continue to run it in his memory. A news report then states that NFFA supporters have staged violent uprisings across the country in response to election results. Cast *Frank Grillo as Leo Barnes, former LAPD Police Sergeant turned Security Chief for Charlie Roan *Elizabeth Mitchell as Senator Charlie Roan, former wife and U.S. Senator/presidential candidate running on an anti-Purge platform **Christy Coco as Young Charlie Roan *Mykelti Williamson as Joe Dixon *Joseph Julian Soria as Marcos Dali *Betty Gabriel as Laney Rucker *Terry Serpico as Earl Danzinger, leader of a neo-Nazi paramilitary group *Raymond J. Barry as Caleb Warrens, NFFA leader and President of the United States *Edwin Hodge as Dante Bishop, an anti-Purge resistance fighter from the previous Purge films *Kyle Secor as Minister Edwidge Owens, a pastor of a NFFA-affiliated cathedral *Brittany Mirabilé as Kimmy *Juani Feliz as Kimmy's friend *Kimberly Howe as Kimmy's friend *Ethan Phillips as Chief Couper *Cindy Robinson as Purge Announcement Voice *Liza Colón-Zayas as Dawn *David Aaron Baker as NFFA Press Secretary Tommy Roseland *Christopher James Baker as Harmon James *Roman Blat as Uncle Sam *Jamal Peters as Gang Leader with Dying Friend *J. Jewels as Political Debater *Matt Walton as Reporter #1 Production On October 6, 2014, it was announced that James DeMonaco would be back to write and direct the third film, while producers Sebastian Lemercier, Blumhouse Productions' Jason Blum, and Platinum Dunes partners Michael Bay, Andrew Form, and Brad Fuller, would also be back. On August 3, 2015, it was announced that Frank Grillo would return for the sequel to play Leo Barnes. On September 10, 2015, more cast was announced, including Betty Gabriel, Edwin Hodge, Kyle Secor, Joseph Julian Soria, Mykelti Williamson, and Elizabeth Mitchell. Filming Shooting began on September 16, 2015. Although a few scenes were filmed in Washington, DC, most of the movie was shot in Rhode Island, both in its capital Providence, and Woonsocket. The main streets of Woonsocket were transformed into the near-future Washington, DC. The NFFA-captured Catholic cathedral where Owens' purge mass takes place, as well as the cathedral crypt scenes, were filmed at the St. Ann's Church Complex. The Rhode Island State House stood in as the White House and its rotunda and some of its interiors such as the Press Room and basement were also used for filming. Numerous landmarks of both Woonsocket and Providence make cameos in the film. The Roan household was shot in another part of Woonsocket and some of the interiors were shot on a soundstage to allow more room for cameras and crew. Music Nathan Whitehead returned to compose the score, having done the music for the first two Purge films. The soundtrack was released on July 1, 2016, to coincide with the release of the film. Release Originally, the film was set to be released on Monday, July 4, 2016, to coincide with the Fourth of July, but was moved to Friday, July 1. It was released in the United Kingdom on August 26. Home Media The Purge: Election Year was released on digital platforms on September 20, 2016 and on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 4, 2016. A 4K UHD Blu-Ray release occurred on June 12, 2018. Reception Box office The Purge: Election Year grossed $79.2 million in North America and $39.4 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $118.6 million, against a budget of $10 million. Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $44.8 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues. In the United States and Canada, the film opened alongside The BFG and The Legend of Tarzan, and was projected to gross around $25 million in its opening weekend. The film grossed $3.6 million from Thursday night previews, outperforming both of its predecessors (the original's $3.4 million in 2013 and The Purge: Anarchy's in $2.6 million in 2014). In its opening weekend, the film grossed $31.4 million, landing in between the $34 million debut for the first film and the $29 million opening for the second, and finished third at the box office behind Finding Dory ($41.4 million) and The Legend of Tarzan ($38.6 million). The film grossed a total of $34.8 million over its four-day July 4 holiday frame. Critical response On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an "rotten" approval rating of 53% based on 145 reviews and an average rating of 5.4/10. The audience approval rating was lower at 48%. The site's critical consensus reads, "It isn't particularly subtle, but The Purge: Election Year s blend of potent jolts and timely themes still add up to a nastily effective diversion." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 55 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. A.O. Scott of The New York Times gave the movie a positive review, saying ""The Purge: Election Year" takes itself just seriously enough to provide the expected measure of fun - a blend of aggression, release and relief." On the other hand, Alan Zilberman of the Washington Post gave the movie 1.5 stars out of 4, saying "Even DeMonaco seems bored by the sieges, escapes and gun battles. Silly one-liners are the only saving grace, and that's because such acting veterans as Williamson know how to sell them." Film critic Christian Toto gave the movie a negative review saying "Like its predecessors, “Election Year” wallows in violence. It adores it. The uglier, the better. And, of course, the cooler, the better. “Election Year” is like a feverish Daily Kos blog post brought to life. It’s crude but aimed directly at genre fans who can tolerate preaching as long as the blood keeps flowing. Prequel :Main article: The First Purge In September 2016, James DeMonaco, who wrote and directed every film in the series thus far, stated that the fourth Purge film would be a prequel to the trilogy. The film will reportedly show how the United States got to the point of accepting the Purge Night. On February 17, 2017, DeMonaco announced that a fourth installment is in development at Universal Studios. DeMonaco will write the script, while Jason Blum from Blumhouse Productions and Michael Bay, Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form from Platinum Dunes will return to produce the film with Sébastien K. Lemercier. The film was set for a July 4, 2018 release date. On July 20, 2017, it was announced that Gerard McMurray will be directing the fourth film titled, The First Purge. References External links * * * Category:2016 films Category:2016 horror films Category:2010s action thriller films Category:2010s crime thriller films Category:2010s science fiction films Category:American films Category:American horror films Category:American action thriller films Category:American crime thriller films Category:American science fiction horror films Category:American sequel films Category:English-language films Category:Blumhouse Productions films Category:Assassinations in fiction Category:Dystopian films Category:Nazism in fiction Category:Action horror films Category:Films directed by James DeMonaco Category:Films produced by Michael Bay Category:Films produced by Jason Blum Category:Films produced by Andrew Form Category:Films produced by Bradley Fuller Category:Films set in 2022 Category:Films set in 2040 Category:Films set in Washington, D.C. Category:Films shot in Rhode Island Category:Platinum Dunes films Category:The Purge (film series) Category:Screenplays by James DeMonaco Category:Social science fiction films Category:Films about elections Category:Films about fictional Presidents of the United States Category:Universal Pictures films Category:Death games in fiction Category:Film scores by Nathan Whitehead